2026 AAPI Voters Data and Narrative Toolkit

This toolkit provides a standardized, evidence-based, and field-tested set of facts and messaging resources that can help community organizations, news media, funders, and other relevant stakeholders to better understand and engage AAPI communities. 

AAPI Voter Facts

AAPIs are the fastest-growing voting group in the United States.

• There are 16 million eligible AAPI voters in 2026, including 1.6 million newly eligible voters since 2022.
• The number of eligible voters increased between 2020 and 2024 by 19% for Asian Americans and 14% for NHPIs, while the overall U.S. electorate grew by 3% (ACS data).¹

AAPIs had the biggest increases in voter turnout rates in the 2018 and 2020 presidential elections.

• Midterm turnout among NHPIs increased from 37% to 43% between 2014 and 2018, and stabilized at 41% in 2022 (CPS)
• Turnout among Asian Americans increased from 27% to 40% between 2014 and 2018, and remained at 40% in 2022 (CPS)
• During this same period, overall turnout increased more modestly from 42% to 53%, and was 52% in 2022 (CPS)

→ WE CAN STILL GROW OUR NUMBERS!

AAPI eligible voters are younger than the U.S. average. AAPI voters are younger than the average U.S. voter, with median ages of 44 years and 48 years, respectively. The largest share of AAPI voters are 18 to 34 years old (32%).

Activating new AAPI voters has tremendous electoral potential. The AAPI voting population was larger than the margin of victory in several key congressional and statewide elections in 2020, 2022, and 2024. 

AAPI Voter Geographies

The AAPI electorate is over 16 million strong. More precisely, there were 16.17 million eligible voters in 2024, the latest year for which we have data available.

For more detailed state data, consult our 2026 State Factsheets

2. AAPIs are 3% or more of the electorate in the following competitive 2026 federal and gubernatorial elections, AND a larger share of the electorate than the margin of victory was in deciding the election outcome in 2024, 2020, and 2022, respectively.

House Races

• AZ -01
• AZ-06
• CO-08
• IA-03
• NJ-07
• NY-17
• PA-07
• PA-10
• VA-02
• WA-03 

Senate Races

• Georgia
• Michigan
• North Carolina

Governor Races

• Arizona
• Georgia
• Nevada

See detailed tables in the Appendix.

AAPI Voter Insights

• AAPIs have immense political power, and weareactivating: AAPIs are poised to be the deciding demographic in many narrowly decided elections
  • In many races across the country, the AAPI electorate is greater than the margin of victory!
    • Campaigns, candidates, and organizations cannot overlook AAPIs; we are an essential part of the electorate!
    • In 2024, multiple congressional races were decided by less than the number of votes that make up the total AAPI community turnout or the estimated size of the AAPI electorate 
  • This 2026 midterm election year, estimates of the size of the AAPI electorate position AAPIs to be greater than the margin of victory in key battleground states that will determine important outcomes like the balance of power in the Senate!
• Communications and outreach strategies need to recognize the diversity of AAPI identities
  • Diversity matters for how we communicate through different language preferences, media platforms, and trusted messengers. This speaks to the need for culturally diverse and responsive teams doing outreach. 
• While AAPIs are not a monolith of identity, we largely have unified policy priorities
  • Decades of public opinion research, from the National Asian American Survey to AAPI Data, show remarkable solidarity across ethnic groups.
  • Some issues show variation in the strength of support by age and nativity.
  • On top priority issues, AAPIs are strongly aligned. According to the 2026 AAPI Policy Priorities Survey from AAPI Data and NCAPA:
    • AAPIs overwhelmingly identify affordability among their top concerns, including the cost of living, inflation, jobs, and the economy.
    • AAPIs believe the government spends too much on immigration enforcement and military spending AND NOT ENOUGH on healthcare and education.
    • AAPIs overwhelmingly oppose heavy-handed immigration tactics, including agents conducting large-scale enforcement operations and wearing full face masks and refusing to provide identification

Note: Follow APIAVote for the release of the 2026 AAPI Voter Survey in late August 2026

Outreach Strategies & Best Practices For Field Engagement

• Hire and recruit staff and volunteers who are trusted messengers in their communities, with community expertise and lived experience.
• Conduct Layered Outreach through multiple touch points: 
  • Contact voters multiple times across a variety of mediums (mail, phone, text, etc)
    • Mailed materials provide voters with a physical item someone can read and reference!
    • Send concise, engaging texts! Our devices are highly used and readily accessible
    • Speak directly to someone through phonebanking! This person-to-person connection can be helpful to encourage engagement!
    • Don’t forget the power of door knocking! Face-to-face interactions are essential when convincing people to engage
    • Align with Civic Holidays: National Voter Registration Day, Poll Worker Day, etc. are great opportunities to build on existing civic engagement energy!
• Provide In-Language Assistance and Resources: Many members of our communities are Limited English Proficient (LEP). It is important to offer oral interpretation and written translations that are accurate and culturally attuned.
  • Assistance can look like translated sample ballots, bilingual volunteers operating hotlines, bilingual volunteers accompanying voters to the polls, and more.
    • Identify the largest ethnic groups and most common AAPI languages spoken in your state/area:
      • Nationally, the top five most commonly spoken Asian languages are Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese
      • The most commonly spoken Pacific Islander languages are Samoan, Native Hawaiian, Chamorro, and Tongan

Core Messages for AAPI Voters in 2026

• Important elections are happening at every level (federal, state, local) every year. Our participation is essential to shaping our cities, communities, and neighborhoods! 
• Our vote is our community’s voice; we have to use it. 
• If we don’t vote, we’re giving the power to someone else.
• There wouldn’t be so many attempts to suppress our communities’ vote if it didn’t matter. 
• If we want to protect our communities, create an economy that works for all, and have elected officials represent our diversity and interests, we have to show up and vote.

Additional Resources

• APIAVote Multilingual Materials (Coming Soon!)
  • Mailers (To be uploaded by Aug 14, 2026)
  • Register and Vote
  • Translated fact sheets (https://apiavote.org/how-to-vote/in-language/)
• Asian-language Voter Hotline: Call 1-888-API-VOTE.
  • Bilingual assistance is available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and Bengali.
  • For marketing material on the multilingual hotline, Visit: https://apiavote.org/hotline
• Translated Glossaries of Election Terminology: The Election Assistance Commission has a series of guides translating keywords. Visit: http://www.eac.gov/election-officials/glossaries-election-terminology 
• APIAVote and AAPI Data, 2026 State Factsheets. Visit: https://apia.vote/2026-state-factsheets 
• AAPI Data. The AANHPI Community Data Explorer provides population and socioeconomic statistics at the level of state, county, Congressional district, and state legislative district. Visit https://explore.aapidata.com/ 

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The 2026 AAPI Voter Data and Narrative Toolkit is jointly developed by APIAVote and AAPI Data, in partnership with the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), as part of our movement’s #YearOfAction.

Appendix

Glossary of Key Terms

• AAPI – This umbrella term includes two separate racial groups: Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs). Each group includes multiracial populations, and this toolkit will strive to provide estimates and guidance for AAPIs as well as for Asian Americans and NHPIs as much as possible.
• Voters – Individuals who have voted in a particular election.
• AAPI electorate – Refers to eligible AAPI voters, meaning all adult citizens of the United States, including native born and naturalized citizens. Also referred to as the Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP).
• Registered voters – Those who are registered to vote in federal elections. Voter registration is a prerequisite for voting in most states.
• Turnout rates – Percent of eligible voters who voted in a particular election (# of voters / # of eligible voters).
• Vote by Mail / Absentee Voting – Method of voting that involves submitting a ballot before election day, either by mailing a completed ballot or by dropping off a completed ballot.
• In many states, absentee ballots are available on a limited basis for those who have received prior authorization. Some states, particularly those in the U.S. West, are exclusively or predominantly Vote by Mail.

• Early Voting – Method of voting that involves going to a polling place before election day.
• Vote propensity – Measure of likelihood to vote with or without outreach efforts. 
  • Low propensity – Voted in 1 out of the last 4 even-year elections → these voters may need more outreach because they have been recently naturalized or registered to vote.
  • Medium propensity – Voted in 2 out of the last 4 even-year elections
  • High propensity – Voted in at least 3 of the last 4 even-year elections

AAPI Electorate by Age Group

The AAPI electorate is composed of millions of eligible voters in each major age group. Past research from AAPI Data, AAJA, and APIAVote reveals that news consumption patterns vary significantly across age groups. Below are the number and share of each age group in the AAPI electorate:

Young adults, age 18 to 34: 5,156,704 (32%)

Middle age, age 35 to 49: 4,406,220 (27%)

Older adults, age 50 to 64: 3,597,452 (22%)

Seniors, age 65 and older: 3,011,814 (19%)